THIS TWIN-TURBO 1,000-HP V10 CRATE ENGINE IS THE PERFECT WAY TO GET YOUR V10 FIX
- Rodin Cars introduces RC.TEN V10 crate engine with up to 1,013 hp for enthusiasts and automakers.
- Available in naturally aspirated and twin-turbo configurations.
- Company shifts focus to selling engines after F1 rejection, offering new power source for projects.
Rodin Cars, the New Zealand company behind the bonkers FZERO race car, has announced it's taken the race car's V10 heart and turned it into a crate engine for your next project. Regardless of your favorite era, no one can deny the Formula 1 V10s of the late 90s and early 2000s sounded the absolute best, and now you too can live out your V10 fantasies with a unit that can produce up to 1,013 horsepower. We don't know about you, but now that the Lamborghini Huracán and Audi R8 are losing their V10s, this sounds like the perfect way to scratch that itch.
With a quick post on the brand's social media page, it alerted the world that the RC.TEN engine is officially ready for the public and available in both naturally aspirated and twin-turbocharged configurations. The goal is to give enthusiasts as well as automakers a new choice in the world of crate engines, and we're positive once buyers see the specs, it'll have more orders than it can handle. V10 Miata, anyone?
Pushing The Boundaries Of Performance
Whether you pick the naturally aspirated or twin turbo, you get a 4.0-liter V10 engine that starts with a cast aluminum block. Water-cooled, it has a 72° configuration with a bore/stroke of 86 x 68.8mm and a compression ratio of 15:1. Regardless of the engine you choose, Rodin says they both run off of Synthetic 102 RON racing fuel, which is made from 50% sustainable materials.
As for power, there's quite a big difference between the two. The naturally aspirated setup makes 720 horsepower at 11,000 rpm and 391 lb-ft of torque at 8,500 rpm. Adding two turbos then gets you the headline-grabbing 1,013 hp and 560 lb-ft, but this power comes on even lower at 9,500 rpm and 7,500 rpm, respectively.
Once the engine is chosen, the company can even pair it up with one of its in-house transmissions, allowing you to get industry-leading power-to-weight outputs out of the driveline.
| Rodin Cars RC.TEN Crate Engine Specs At A Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Naturally Aspirated | Twin-Turbo | |
| Configuration | Water-cooled 72° V10 | |
| Displacement | 3,998 cc | |
| Bore x Stroke | 86 x 68.8mm | |
| Compression Ratio | 15:1 | 10.2:1 |
| Fuel Requirement | Synthetic 102 RON | |
| Power | 720 hp @ 11,000 rpm | 1,013 hp @ 9,500 rpm |
| Torque | 391 lb-ft @ 8,500 rpm | 560 lb-ft @ 7,500 rpm |
| Weight | 275-353 lbs | |
| Specific Output | 185 hp/liter | 253 hp/liter |
From Entering F1 To Selling Engines
As much as we love the idea of a V10 crate engine, and as much as we want to see someone shove one in something small and irresponsible, we can't help but wish things could have turned out a little differently for Rodin Cars.
If you're unaware, Rodin was rejected from entering Formula 1 last year by the FIA, leading to an exceptionally passive-aggressive press release from the New Zealand company. Rodin seemed to feel that the organization had already picked a favorite in Andretti-Cadillac (and look how that turned out) and did not seriously taking into consideration the plan set forth by Rodin Cars and its partner Carlin Motorsport.
Rejected F1 Team Exposes Formula 1's Flawed Application Process
At least Andretti-Cadillac looks like a solid bet.After dealing with this heartbreak, it appears the company would rather focus on its supercar production and spin off its engine as another source of revenue. Given the circumstances, we say this is a good move, because if we had the choice between listening to boring old hybrid V6 engines all day or glorious twin-turbo V10 engines, we'd pick the V10 in a heartbeat.